Three Indians arrested in Dubai

They were held along with Egyptians for their involvement in a fight over water at a labour accommodation.

Three Indians along with an equal number of Egyptians have been arrested for their involvement in a fight over water at a labour accommodation in Jebel Ali here.

The workers were arrested on Tuesday after a fight broke out on Monday night among two groups of workers from the Al Huda contracting company over right to use cold drinking water facilities provided at their accommodation.

The workers blamed each other for the unrest and Indian workers were quoted as saying in the Gulf News that they did not intend to stay with the Egyptian workers any longer.

The workers abandoned plans of a march to the ministry of labour, after police assured them that a solution to their problems would be found.

"A few Egyptian workers wanted to use drinking water for bathing. Some Asians raised their objections and tried to stop them resulting in a verbal duel that turned into a physical fight," the newspaper quoted an Indian worker as saying.

However, an Egyptian worker said, "What is said about us is untrue," an Egyptian worker said. "We were taking water for drinking. It is difficult to pinpoint who started the fight."

Brigadier Abdul Jalil Mehdi, Deputy Director of Preventive Security at Dubai Police, said: "The workers had a disagreement and some suffered minor injuries. We have made some arrests and a case will be registered against them and referred to the public prosecution."

Company officials have been told to transfer some of the workers to avoid any further unrest.